Freight loading equipment



Dec. 25, 1962' K. J. TOBIN 3,070044 FREIGHT LOADING EQUIPMENT Filed Nov.2 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 25, 1962 K. J. TOBIN 3,070,044

FREIGHT LOADING EQUIPMENT Filed Nov. 20, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. E- 5 [9777162 1 .1 7522'.

Dec. 25, 1962 K. J. TOBIN FREIGHT LOADING EQUIPMENT 4 Sheets-Sheet 3Filed Nov. 20, 1956 K. J- TOBIN FREIGHT LOADING EQUIPMENT Dec. 25, 1962Filed Nov. 20, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Rm Mk m w W g If flmfi T. e

llnited states Patent Office dfiidfi ii Patented Dec. 25, 1%62 Myinvention relates to railroad cars and in particular to movablebulkheads that can be used at various positions within the car to divideit into compartments.

For a great many years a need has existed in the railroad industry for asuitable design of bulkhead that could be used to compartmentize freightand secure it in place to prevent damage in shipping. Various proposalshave been advanced but they have invariably involved structure thatsubstantially decreased the net cubical capacity of the boxcar, were toofragile for lengthy railroad use, or were too complicated or heavy forthe average workman to handle.

I have, by of my invention, overcome the foregoing disadvantages alongwith several others that are known to those in the held. In accordancewith a preferred embodiment of my invention a bulkhead is constructedupon a series of cross bars, these cross bars preferably being of thetype disclosed in Tobin et a1. Patent No. 2,725,826, and its relatedcases, which refer to a well known freight dunnage system sold by myassignee, Evans Products Company, under the trademark DP. The attachingends of the cross bars project beyond the edges of the bulkhead and arelocated at levels which enable thcm to be secured to the conventional D1belt rails as shown in the aforementioned patent.

The cross bars which provide the framework for the bulkhead of myinvention furnish means for rigidly securing the bulkhead in operative,compartmentizing position. In order to facilitate movement of thebulkhead from one operative position to another I provide rollers whichcan be selectively operated to bear the weight of the bulkhead and moveit along the floor of the boxcar. In addition, the rollers in operationwill serve to move the bulkhead and cross bars in such a way that thecross bars are disconnected from the belt rails. The bulkhead isprevented from canting during its movement from one position to anotherby means of sprocket guide wheels which I prefer to use at the top ofthe bulkhead and which will be lifted into engagement with the bottomsof the DP belt rails during the course of bulkhead translation. Thesprocket wheels have pins which project into the openings in the DPrails and since the latter are in correct alignment the bulkhead cannottwist during the course of its movement.

The bulkhead of my invention is stored adjacent the roof of the boxcarwhere it will not decrease the useful capacity of the car. Movement to ahorizontal position at the top of the car occurs about the top cross baras a pivot axis after the other cross bars have been lifted from theirrespective belt rails. A suitable spring is arranged so that it isenergized by movement of the bulkhead from the horizontal stowedposition to the vertical operative position, thus providing energy toassist in movement of the bulkhead back to a stowed position.

The invention is illustrated in its preferred form in the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FEGURE 1 is a erspective view, partly broken awa, diagrammaticallyshowing the use of my improved bulkhead in a boxcar equipped with the DPdunnage system;

FIG. 2 is a partial cross section along line 2-2 of PEG, 3 showing thebulkhead in its stowed horizontal position adjacent the roof of theboxcar;

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross section through the boxcar and shows thebulkhead in operative vertical position;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing how the head of a cross member isconnected to a DP belt rail;

FIG. 5 is a view with parts broken away showing a bellcrank and wheelassembly mounted upon the neck of the cross bar head at the bottom ofthe bulkhead;

FIG. 6 is a view taken from the right of PEG. 5 with the head of thecross bar omitted;

PEG. 7 is an end View of a cross bar and sprocket guide wheel assemblyat the top of the bulkhead; and

FIG. 8 is a view taken from the right of FIG. 7.

In FIGURE 1 the boxcar ft is equipped with a series of DE typeangle-shaped belt rails 2 through 9, respe"- tively, located at standardpositions in accordance with the aforementioned patent and equipmentfurnished to the industry. In addition to these belt rails I preferablyadd at the top of the car a rail 11 which will be attached in the samemanner as the other rails, thus being securely welded to the uprightframe members 13 which are a part of the side wall of the freight car.

In order to isolate packages of freight 15 into a compartment, a movablewall or bulkhead may be used and in accordance with my invention thebulkhead 17 will perform this function and tie in with the DI loaderequipment just described. The bulkhead 17 comprises a frame whichconsists of preferably four DP cross bars which, running from top tobottom, bear reference numerals i9, 21, 23, and The exact constructionof these cross bars is well known in the field, since they are availableon the open market, and also has been described in the aforementionedTobin et 211. patent and cases related to it. The cross bars eachcomprise elongated bodies having heads 27 at opposite ends. The bodiespreferably have vertical faces of wood, or are otherwise adapted so thatpanels may be rigidly secured to them to form the opposite faces 29 ofthe bulkhead 17, the faces 29 engaging the articles of freight 15.

The heads 27 of the various cross bars f9, 21, 23, and 25, at oppositeends thereof, are freely telescopic, that is they will slide in and outof the ends of the bodies of the cross bars. For this purpose the heads27 are rigid with ecks 31 which are received within suitable openings inthe body of the cross bar as taught in the aforementioned patent, theopenings 32, however, being oversize to permit vertical play. Thearrangement is: also preferably such that the angle which the heads 27make with the plane of the bulkhead may be varied, i.e. the heads 27 canrotate about the necks 31.

At the bottom of the bulkhead it? bell-crank assemblies 25 are mountedon the necks 31 of cross bar 25. These include a socket 35 for removablyreceiving an operating lever 37. The angular depending leg 39 rotatablycarrics a wheel 41 on an axle 53 that extends transversely from thebottom of the bell crank 33' and preferably is located beneath the head27 when the bell crank 33 is biased by suitable means to a positionwherein the wheel 41 is elevated about three quarters of an inch abovethe floor 55 of the boxcar. However, when each lever 37 is inserted intothe top end of the bell crank 33 and leverage is applied to pivot itabout shaft 31, the wheel 41 will move downwardly to engage: the floor45 so that additional pressure will cause the shaft 31 to rise carryingwith it the head 2'7 and the entire bulkhead 17. This movement willenable the lock pins 47 on the bottoms of the heads 27 to be liftedclear of the openings in the various belt rails, thus freeing thebulkhead 17 so that it can be rolled on the floor 45 lengthwise of thecar 1.

Twisting of the bulkhead E7 is prevented by means of guide wheelsprockets at the top of the bulkhead. These preferably comprise a pairof wheels 51 and 53 which have a plurality of radially extending pins 55that correspond to the pins 47 so that they will project throughant/0,044

openings 4? in the bottom of the top belt rails 11. The wheels 51 and 53are rotatably mounted on stub axle sections 57 which are formed on theends of a support 59 which is securely attached as by welding at as tothe head 27 of the uppermost cross bar. When the bulkhead 17 is liftedby pressure applied to bellcrank 33 the upper head 27 will be lifted sothat its pins 47 come out of holes s) but at the same time the pins 535on the wheels 51 and 5? will be brought up to project through the holes4? so that the Wheels roll on the bottom faces of the belt rails 11 andthe pins 55 act to prevent twisting of the bulkhead.

When it is not desired to use the bulkhead 17, it can be stowed in aposition adjacent the roof 63 of the freight car as seen in Pi-G. 2.This is done by pivoting the bulkhead about the necks 33 of the topcross member heads 27. The movement occurs with the assistance of a pairof springs which are coiled around the necks 31 of cross bar 1% and haveone end anchored by suitable means to the body of the cross member andthe other end anchored by insertion in recess 67 in head 27. in movingthe bulkhead from the vertical to the horizontal position, the heads arefirst disconnected from the respective belt rails, a certain amount ofvertical play being provided in the telescopic mounting of necks 31 topermit this, and then they are telescopically moved inwardly toward theside edges of the bulkhead so that the outer faces clear the insideedges of the belt rails. Rods 37 will be removed when this is done. Onlythe top cross member 19 is left in a fixed position. Then the body ofthe bulkhead 17 can be pivoted upwardly about the necks 31 of cross bar19 as a fixed pivot with the assistance of springs 65. A recessed handgrip 67 may be provided near the bottom of the bulkhead to facilitatelifting. When in the upper, horirontal position, the bulkhead may beheld in place by a suitable catch (not shown) or by turning one or moreof the heads 27 to engage holes in belt rails 11.

I claim:

1. In a freight transporting conveyance such as a railroad boxcar, saidconveyance having opposite vertical side walls provided with belt railsadjacent the tops thereof having horizontal perforated flanges, abulkhead between said side walls and having adjacent the top thereofoppositely extending aligned attachment members for connection to saidbelt rails, said attachment members including devices on opposite sidesof said flange and having pins to project into the perforations of saidflanges, one of said devices providing means for anchoring said bulkheadto the belt rails and the other of said devices providing means forrolling of me bulkl ead along said belt rails.

2. The invention set forth in claim 1 wherein said device for anchoringthe bulkhead to said belt rails includes a pivot providing means forpivotal movement of the bulkhead about an axis defined by said alignedattachment members.

in a bulkheading system for a compartment having o posite side walls, aplurality of longitudinally extending belt rails on said side wallshaving perforated horizontal flanges, a bulkhead to extend between theside walls, said bulkhead having on opposite sides a plurality of freelytelescopic members with downwardly projecting pins to fit in theperforations on said belt rails, and means providing a rolling andnon-twisting connection between said bulkhead and said rails uponremoval of said pins from said rails.

4. In a bulkhead system, transversely spaced horizontally extending beltrails provided with perforated horizontal flanges, a bulkhead extendingtransversely between said belt rails, said bulkhead having attachmentmembers extending from the sides thereof and provided with pinsprojecting parallel to the sides of the bulkhead for insertion in theperforations of said belt rails, and means for moving the bulkhead in adirection parallel to said pins to disconnect and connect them and saidbelt rails.

5. The invention set forth in claim 4 including means associated withcertain of said attachment members to engage said flanges on the sideopposite to that from which the pins project so as to prevent undesireddisconnection of the pins and belt rails.

References Qited in the file of this patent UIHTED STATES PATENTS

